Lacrimosa
by FauxFame
Summary: A homework assignment has Lilly fretting over her innermost feelings. Will she be able to swallow her fears and profess those feelings? Miley/Lilly...aka Liley...
1. Burden of Emotions

**Well, it's a Monday. And I'm bored. So I decided to wrangle me up one of these fine Hannah Montana fan fictions. (Ok, that's enough of that…lol) Just to forewarn everyone, it's been quite some time since I, myself, have been a teenager, so we'll see if I can capture their essences.**

**And I'd like to say that all things Hannah Montana are owned by Disney and their subsidiaries. I own nothing but the DVD's and CD's and other paraphernalia that I've picked up. So please, don't sue. Also, this IS eventually going to turn out to be a Liley fluff/angst fic. I like to mix it up. So if you got a problem with it, tough. It's my imagination, and you can click far far away from here.**

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She sat staring at the computer screen in her room blankly, trying to complete her homework in a sensible timeframe to no avail. Chewing a pen cap in thought, Lilly Truscott watched the little blinking cursor mock her in a rhythmic tempo.

'Why oh why oh WHY did Mr. Corelli have to assign a writing assignment on romance?' Her thoughts made her pout in desperation. Francis Corelli, her extroverted, yet odd History teacher, had been in the process describing the period of Romanticism, timed well enough with Valentine's Day. In his uncanny knack to make Lilly feel more and more uncomfortable about her feelings without realizing it, the class was assigned a free writing assignment to see what they had learned, staying true to the key points emphasized in the period. Glancing down at her notes, she let a frustrated sigh escape her lips, wanting to just claim a zero on the paper.

'Intuition, imagination, and feeling.' Lilly thought over and over, rapping her knuckles on the keyboard, successfully typing a jumble of letters, hoping maybe, just maybe she'd be able to anagram something out of them. 'Ghjk…I got nothing.' Lilly frowned, and glanced at her cell, contemplating calling either Miley or Oliver as an escape from the unwanted thoughts her mind kept placing on her as she reviewed her notes.

Standing up and stretching, popping her back from the stiffness of spending a good Friday afternoon staring at the blank canvas of a word processor, she flopped onto her bed unceremoniously, her mind running over her obsession she held since 8th grade, wanting to somehow include those feelings of desire, passion, and wanton disappointment within her paper of her unmentionable thoughts. Here it was, senior year, and she still didn't have the guts to be open about her feelings with her closest friends or family.

Her eyes grew heavy with contemplation, knowing that her feelings would make for a perfect story, yet unwilling to put her utmost thoughts onto paper. Trepidation, horror, and awe grasped her mind daily, and Lilly hid behind a façade of smiles, hugs, and jokes. She continued her restless thinking in a daze, until a bright and cheery tone emitted from her cell phone.

With a great yawn and a scratch to her helmet-styled hairdo, Lilly rose to check the caller ID, a wide grin crossing her face as it read 'Miley', her picture taken with her camera phone lighting up the screen.

"Yello!" She answered her phone with bounce, swearing up and down that as soon as her thoughts went dark, Miley knew, and always called.

"Hey, Lilly. You have a moment?" Miley queried, sounding quite out of breath.

"Yeah. What's up?" Lilly listened intently, thinking 'for you, always.'

"Ok, so, oh my GOD! Got a call from Traci…and guess who's got that extra ticket to the premier screening of the new Orlando Bloom flick for yoooouuuu…" Miley singsong into the phone.

"Really?" Lilly perked up at the sudden good news. She had been bugging Miley to get a ticket to the premier for a month, only because she knew Hannah would be there. Granted, she went crazy a few years back for the puffy-shirt pirate, and had once or twice made a fool of herself at Traci Van Horn's private celebrity parties trying to chase him down. Though she only attended those parties at Miley's request, she felt that he was an appropriate target to vent her teenage hormonal frustrations on, rather than the actual subject of her affections.

"Yes, really. Do you think you can finish your paper so we can go tonight?" Lilly chewed her lip in thought. There was no way she could even think of an idea to spit out a paper within a few hours' time, and her mom was on her case about her grades ever since she had sacrificed studying for practicing when she tried out for the High School X Games.

"Iiiiiiiii don't know, Miles. It's kinda not even started," Lilly sighed, slightly upset that she wasn't going to be able to spend time with her favorite pop star.

"Well, what if I come over and help you. It's really not that hard. All you have to do is think emo, and you're halfway there!" Miley suggested, seeming to brush off the assignment as less soul searching than Lilly had found it to be.

"Ok, ok. I'll get it done quickly. I think I have an idea." Lilly glanced at the clock, figuring a time estimate to type out her innermost feelings while still having time to make the transformation into her alter ego, Lola Luftnagle.

"Good. I'll be around about 6:30-ish."

"Kay. See you then." With a curt flip of her wrist, Lilly slipped her phone closed and rushed back to the computer, swallowing her pride and typed out her deepest secrets, changing the names where she saw fit. She didn't care if she passed or failed, anyway, and as long as she got the assignment done, her mom would have no problems letting her go.

**AN: **_**Ok, ok. I know it's short for now. But it's kind of a set up chapter anyway. This is the first time I've written any fanfic of any kind in what seems like eons…(I used to write S Club 7 fanfic back in the day…and my old account is long since gone.) So, please, comment. And be gentle. *hides from heavy objects***_


	2. Hungry Eyes

**Welcome back. Once again, I own nothing. Never claimed to, and probably never will. Offended by a consensual relationship between two teenage females, don't read. As always, your comments/criticism is always welcome.**

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Readjusting her newest wig while sliding a black and white striped ribbon through the royal purple locks, Lilly…no, rather Lola…prepared herself for her friend's arrival. She had finished her homework assignment in record time once she allowed herself to open up on the page, and found it a most daunting task to apply makeup to sorrow-angst puffy eyes to make it appear as if she hadn't been crying. With a few extra swipes of the midnight-colored kohl, Lilly eyed herself in the mirror, becoming more and more frustrated.

"AW MAAAAAAN!" she cried out in frustration as once again, Lilly managed to make herself look very 'Goth' in appearance. For some reason, she wanted to look PERFECT tonight, though perfection she felt she wasn't. 'What chance in the world would I have…' she muttered solemnly to herself as she removed and reapplied the eyeliner for what seemed to be the millionth time.

The doorbell chimed happily, heralding the arrival of her best friend, breaking whatever dark and downtrodden thought Lilly had set in her mind. The muffled noise of the door opening and conversation between Miley and her mother felt all too distant of a sound compared to the beating of her heart, slowly picking up pace.

With a scrambled pace, Lilly applied the final touches to her makeup, adding a few small star-sparkles to her right eye, and gazed upon her mismatched form in the mirror. As Lola, she felt like her outfits; bold, wild and carefree. Her latest attire consisted of a black and white polka dotted corset top, aligned perfectly with a 1950's A-line style pinstriped skirt, and a tall pair of leather boots. All in all, her outfit spoke levels that she, in her own life, could never find the voice to express.

Miley's steps upstairs to Lilly's room resounded with an unbelievable echo through the hallways, matching Lilly's heartbeat to a rhythmic pulse.

*tic, tic, Tic, Tic, TIC, TIC TIC…*

*KNOCK KNOCK* "You in there, Lil? We're gonna be late!"

The sudden sound of knocking broke Lilly out of her trance, and she could have sworn that as Miley knocked on her bedroom door, her heart skipped a beat.

"Y-yeah! Just gimme a sec to grab my purse," Lilly's voice squeaked out. Scrambling to find the purse she had set aside especially for this evening, Miley let herself into Lilly's room, her face bemused as her best friend was rushing around.

"Jeez, girl. Ya think that you were scrambling to get rations for a nuclear holocaust or something." Miley bent down and picked up the purse by her feet. "Looking for this one?"

Lilly sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Yep. That's the one." She smiled, nodding. With a deep breath, she focused on Miley's chosen outfit for the evening. Though she was sans wig, her outfit screamed 'Montana-style', the royal purple scarf wrapped just so around her neck, white leather jacket, with gold flaring, and matching pants. Lilly absorbed the sight before her with hidden admiration, pausing for just a second too long, knowing Miley was saying something…

"LILLY! HELLOOOOO?! GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR LIL?!?!" Miley waved her hands in front of her friend's face, hoping to catch her attention.

Snapping to attention, Lilly shook her head and cleared her throat. "Sorry about that. Just thinking about my paper."

"What, you didn't finish?" Miley perked her brow.

"No, not that. I just think that I need to kinda…proofread it a bit when we get back." Lilly shrugged. "C'mon, like you said, we're gonna be late."

***************

The ride to Mann's Chinese Theater could not have been more tense. Lilly's backbone found itself rigid in posture, the scent of her clandestine love making her brace with an anticipatory and lonesome craving. She could practically taste the scent that paralyzed her with fear and adoration. Glancing out of the tinted and protective limousine windows, she prayed to God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, and any deity she could think of that one day, she would have the opportunity to discover where she placed that invigorating bouquet of cinnamon and vanilla.

"Lola, you ok? You haven't said one word since you got into this limo." Miley minded her friend's alter ego name, noticing that the partition wasn't up as a silencer between themselves and their driver.

Moving laboriously to look upon her secret ardor, attempting to mask the look of lust and hunger in her eyes, Lilly shrugged, taking a deep breath. "I'm just…nervous. It's the first time I get to be in a theater where Orlando Bloom won't be running away from me, or calling his lawyer for an emergency order of protection."

Miley grinned. "C'mon. That was ONE TIME 3 years ago. And can ya blame him…I mean, they ALMOST had to call the fire department to get the jaws of life to getcha off of his leg."

Lilly smirked at the mention of the old memory. It was at Traci's Celebrity Pro-Am Race for the Cure of Chihuahua Diabetes; before the starting gun had gone off, Lilly tackled the stud to the ground and had a death grip hug on him. "Yeah, you're right. I'm WAAAAY more mature now. I think I can handle myself." With a smirk, she snapped her bubble-mint flavored gum.

"Uhh, Lola…you got a…little piece of gum stuck to your…" Miley pointed out the small pink splotch on Lilly's cheek, handing her a compact mirror.

Taking the pro-offered mirror, Lilly snapped it open and sighed. "Maaaaan….this is SO not my NIGHT!" Removing her striped gloves, she proceeded to attempt removal of the sticky treat from her cheek, finding it a daunting task. Miley chuckled a bit as a long string of gum stretched from Lilly's cheek to her extended finger, not wanting to let go of her.

With the tacky sweetness stuck steadfast to her skin, Lilly looked at Miley with a pitiable puppy dog look, begging for help. Rolling her eyes, Miley obliged, sighing. "I swear, what would you do without me?" Grasping one of the gooey ribbons, Miley soon too found herself stuck. "Oh, sweet sticky niblets." She muttered, trying to shake the threads of gum from her own fingertips to no avail.

With squinted eyes and a frustrated flare of her nostrils, Lilly looked at Miley with irritated amusement. "Well THIS is just great. How are we gonna get outta THIS one?" The pink strings of Lilly's gum had tangled them to a point that they didn't know where to start a removal. As Miley thought of a plan, the limo, as if by an unlucky design, slowed to a halt in front of the famed theater. The driver, trained to not pay attention to the activities that happen in the backseat, ran to the side of the door and opened it with pride, revealing the tangled duo to the bright flashbulbs of paparazzo vultures.

Wide-eyed and embarrassed, Miley removed the suddenly shocked face to plaster a cover-up smile on, "Heyyyyyy everybody. Like the new look? I call it 'stick to your best friend.' Get it?" She giggled tensely, leading the bewildered Lilly out of the limo. "C'mon Lola," she muttered through a tight toothed grin, tugging her best friend quickly over the red carpet to the interior of the theater, heading straight for the restrooms to removed the gooey gunk from between them.

Slamming and locking the door behind them, Miley sighed with amused frustration, she proceeded to grab a handful of liquid soap to loosen their gum bond. "Miley, I'm SO sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen" Lilly sighed. 'Great, I've got the suaveness of Rico and Oliver mixed.' she thought to herself as Miley slathered the generic smelling soap on her cheek.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Y'know that you wouldn't be my best friend if we didn't get into situations like this and be able to laugh. Besides, we've been in worse predicaments. Like when Oliver cuffed us together?" Miley grabbed a handful of Kleenex and started peeling the gum away from themselves.

"Oh yeah," Lilly laughed at the recollection. "I mean, yeah, we were mad at each other, but we laugh about it now"

"See? This is nothing. 'Sides, why would I be mad about an accident. I did it to myself," Miley rinsed her hands off and threw the now gum-laden tissues in the trash bin. Lilly felt herself blush under the scrutiny of her sudden apologetic nature.

"I know. But if I hadn't been chewing the gum…" Lilly sighed, and bobbed her head sarcastically.

"Shut up, goof. C'mon. Let's get back to the premier and to your future honey", Miley grinned, wiggling her hips. Lilly merely paused, and found herself once again longing to tell her darling love that it wasn't Orlando that she wanted for her future; it was the woman that stood in front of her. The same chestnut haired/blonde haired and azure eyed exquisiteness she spent a good five years yearning for.

Not finding the words, or rather, not finding the impudence to speak out against the untruths that her best friend was speaking, Lilly followed her currently blonde tressed beloved out of the restroom and into the dark theater.

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As the duo were seated, the producer stood and gave a small speech, thanking all the cast and crew for their efforts in producing the romantic comedy. Lilly paid no attention to his words, her emotions lay amid uneasiness and adoration; she would much rather have rented an old movie and had the privacy in their homes than having the millions of prying eyes of the public trying to dig deep into her soul.

The lights dimmed to a dusky hue, and with a grandiose swell of music, the title sequence flashed upon the screen. Lilly paid no attention to the story that unfolded upon the screen, and had become enthralled within Miley's reactions to the tale playing out. Every smile, laugh, gasp, and tear that was expressed upon her face, Lilly put them to memory. There truly was something magnificent about her, something so enchanting that Lilly hadn't noticed the roll of the credits beginning and the thunderous clap of applause.

"Lola…", Miley turned back to the screen and applauded, before turning back to her friend. "Looooooollllllaaaaaa?" No reaction other than a stare directly at her. With a roll of her eyes, and a lick of her pinky, she delivered Lilly a dynamic 'Wet Willy', causing Lilly to jump out of her seat, wiping saliva out of her ear with a wince.

"Ok, now was THAT really necessary Hannah?" Lilly moodily commented, a little peeved that not only was she busted at staring at Miley, but that she now had a damp ear.

"Gotcha out of that funk, didn't it?" Miley grinned proudly. "Now, I was gonna take us to Traci's after party and PROPERLY introduce you to Orlando, but you haven't been yourself today. How about we go and talk." Miley shrugged, brushing a few stray blonde locks out of her eyes.

Lilly felt panicked. Her voice squeaked out shrilly "Talk?" She laughed and cleared her throat to save embarrassment. "No, no. Hannah, I'm FINE. I swear. I'm just worried about…uhmm…the plight of the Republic?" Lilly smiled charmingly, hoping to weasel her way out of the conversation.

Miley, her head now dropped in disbelief. "The plight. Of the Republic. Girl, you've been watchin' too many Star Wars films with Oliver."

Knowing that Miley hadn't bought the story, Lilly sighed in frustration. "Look, I just…I'm not feeling too good. I think it's my sinuses" She looked around, trying to keep her eye contact away from Miley, knowing that tears would spike her eyes if she thought too much longer of the pain she felt.

With a pout, Miley rubbed Lilly's back, nodding, but knowing deep down that something was wrong; something that Lilly wasn't telling her. Miley knew, at that moment, that she was going to get to the bottom of what was going on with her best friend come Hell or high water. "Kay…we can head back home. But you have to promise me that if there's anything else wrong, that you'll tell me."

"Promise." Lilly mumbled, 'Yeah, I'll tell you….on, oh say, the fifth of never', she thought, her heart feeling heavy in her chest.

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The ride in the limo to the designated meeting spot to meet Robbie Ray and his cherry red Corvette seemed to be an eternity. Neither girl said naught to each other, and to make it worse, Miley had turned on the radio to an Eighties station, which was now blasting 'Hungry Eyes' by Eric Carmen. Lilly absorbed the lyrics with a heavy heart, swearing that the lyrics spoke too close to home, wishing that she, herself, could speak such poetry and in such a manner that maybe, possibly, Miley would forget her 'obligatory' handsome prince fairytale and turn to her wacky best friend instead.

The limo driver dutifully let the girls out, receiving payment for his services from Robbie Ray, and pulling away a safe distance away before both girls removed their faux hairdos and climbed into the Corvette.

"How'd the movie go, ladies?" Robbie asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at a sullen Lilly, and an oblivious daughter.

"It was pretty good. Though they used the common plot device of the whole 'best friend gets the girl in the end' thing. I mean…c'mon," Miley commented. Robbie just laughed.

"Kinda like what you sing about, there, Bud…" He smirked, glancing again back at Lilly with a perturbed look on her face over Miley's bored analysis.

"Well, I think it's a GREAT device. I mean, a device that should be used over and over again. I mean, what better love is there than the love of your best friend?" Lilly commented curtly. She swore her heart was going to be ripped out of her chest if Miley thought that friends falling in love would be such a ludicrous idea.

Miley was about to comment on her old hit 'If We Were A Movie' being a sugary sweet part of her past, when Lilly's comment grasped her and made her pause, her finger frozen in preparation to make a point.

"Wait, Lilly…what did you say?" She turned to her best friend and cocked her head in interest.

Lilly slunk down in her seat, uncomfortable about being confronted on her sudden outburst, meekly replied. "Well, I'm just sayin' that there's nothing wrong with falling in love with your best friend. It happens all the time." Timidly, she glanced up at Miley's prying, cerulean eyes and gave a smirk.

A wide grin spread over Miley's face. "Ohhhhh…I get it now. Why you've been all avoidy with information and why you've had that look of looooooove on your face…"

Lilly winced, waiting for either the heavy-handed slap or a tender caress. Closing her eyes, she peeped. "Uh-huhhhhh?"

Miley proudly sat up straight. "YOU love OLIVER….don't you? Yessss….I SO knew it." She turned her attention back to the road, proud that she thought she figured out Lilly's current angst.

Lilly, shocked and flabbergasted, gasped out in disarray. "WAIT…WHAT…HUHHHH?" and could speak no longer, the heart that had been in her throat just moments before sank deep in her stomach.

**AN: Ok, so I made a bit with the wacky. Is all in good fun. I'd like to thank those who have commented/favored/subscribed. It feels good to get back in the game, and I'm so proud that the Liley community has embraced me with such open arms. I hope to see more and more comments/criticisms soon, now that the rusty wheel has started spinning again. I also PROMISE that there will be Liley action in here. I just have to build up to it first. After all, what fun is the chase when you catch your prize right away?**


	3. In Her Father's Eyes

**Well, I guess I'm trying to be an updating fool! Actually, it's inspiring to read your reviews of support, and I quite enjoy pleasing those who give me encouragement. So, thank you all, readers, reviewers, and adders. You are what makes up my muse.**

**Also, insert standard disclaimer here…where I own nothing and Disney owns all. **

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Dragging her black Converse shoes along the dew damp pavement, Lilly trudged her way towards the Stewart residence, following her morning ritual to meet up with her before school. Miley usually drove them to school, and it always seemed to take her longer to get ready in the morning than Lilly, so they came up with the agreement to meet at the Stewart house before heading out, saving time.

Dressed in her dark green striped shirt, camo colored utility pants, and lucky red hat, Lilly casually opened the patio door and tossed her book bag on the couch. The scent of bacon being fried greeted her, a small smirk crossed her face as she watched Robbie Ray frying up what seemed to be an endless supply of the pork product.

"G'mornin' Lilly. How was the rest of yer weekend?" Robbie glanced up, pointedly talking with the hand currently holding the spatula.

After the premier, Miley and Lilly hadn't talked. Miley had a few 'Hannah' related events out of town she needed to attend, and Lilly wasn't able to attend due to a prior engagement that she wasn't aware of with her mother. She shrugged, and walked up to the breakfast bar, snagging a piece of the breakfast meat.

"S'okay. Mom wanted to take me shopping for Homecoming dresses. I really wasn't too interested," Lilly mumbled, talking with her mouth full. Robbie nodded.

"I hear ya. Hard to go to them things when you don't have a date. Ya holdin' out fer Oliver?" He glanced up from the spattering pan, gauging Lilly's reaction.

Annoyed by the mere thought that her best friend's father was ribbing her, Lilly grabbed four more pieces of bacon, shoving them in her mouth. "I dun ebben kno whr Miwwee gop da idea. I dun ike Orriver ike at" she spoke between chews.

"Whoa, calm down there 'fore ya choke. I'm just teasin' ya. I know ya don't like Oliver." Robbie chuckled, pushing a glass of orange juice towards Lilly.

"Oo do?" Swallowing the salty pork, she took the glass and began drinking, leaving little greasy fingerprints on the tumbler.

"Yeah. I may be old, but my eyesight ain't failin' me yet." Robbie finished frying the last of the breakfast pork and switched off the burner, taking a deep breath and wiping his hands on the dishtowel tucked into the waistband of his blue jeans. "Any fool can see that you've got eyes fer only one."

A deep crimson blush covered her cheeks. To avoid replying to his comment, Lilly continued to drink at the juice in her hand, slowly swallowing. Robbie, knowing his thoughts had to be true, folded his arms and put on his best 'concerned father' look.

"Good juice, huh? Miley made it. Speakin' of Miley…" He leaned in to whisper, knowing all too well from his own experience, that the vents had ears. "Ya got a crush on my baby girl, hmm?"

Shocked and stunned, Lilly lowered the glass quickly and sputtered the juice out in surprise, accidentally spraying Robbie's flannel shirt. Wiping her lips, a look of terror flashed across her features, leaning away from her best friend's father, who had never seemed intimidating up until now.

"Uh, I…uhm…well…it…she…" Lilly muttered, sliding off of the barstool slowly, hoping and praying that she could make a quick break for it before he could wrap a hand around her throat and throttle her to death.

Robbie's face changed from a daunting glare to a pleased expression, slapping a firm hand on Lilly's back. "That's what I thought." He laughed, shaking his head. "What, ya think I was gonna hurt ya or something?" With a casual shake of the head, he looked upon Lilly with a cross between pity and support. "Nahhh…couldn't do that."

Settling down a bit, Lilly sat back up on the barstool, slouched. "Is it really that obvious?"

"To only someone with eyes. That, and this ol' dog's been around awhile. Why don't you tell her? I mean, if it was 'cause of me, you've got my blessings."

"Mr. S, it's not that. What if…I just don't think she'd return what I feel. I'd be just as happy admiring from afar and stealing little bits of hair from her brush." Lilly gave him a little grin.

"First of all, that ain't right." He smiled, amused at her little admission. "Second of all, what have ya got to lose. I mean, I would think I'd know my daughter better'n anyone, and she'd be your friend no matter what she felt." Robbie shrugged. "'Sides, ya only live once." Giving her another pat on the back, hearing Miley's approach, he finished his conversation. "What have ya got to lose?"

Seeing a fresh-faced and bright eyed Miley stroll down the stairs with a smile, clad in a flowing purple blouse and near-blinding white shorts, Lilly could only look back down at the plate of bacon, muttering with a sigh, "I could lose a friend,"

*************

Mr. Corelli's class started slowly as the students trudged in; the first mornings class was always difficult, sleep still lingering in the stultified gazes of the masses. Lilly took her seat, her paper printed and in a plastic binder set tersely upon her desk. She found herself once again lost for words on the ride into school, contemplating Robbie Ray's words closely, playing each scenario out ad nauseum.

Miley, though maintaining her bright eyed and cheery demeanor, had noticed Lilly distancing herself, and questioned silently to herself why her best friend would do such an abrupt thing. 'It wasn't cos I discovered her lil crush on Oliver, was it?' she chewed her lip in thought as she glanced at Lilly, noticing that she hadn't even made eye contact with her at all after the night of the premier. Her thoughts were immediately interrupted by a flop in the desk in front of her, the dark eyes of Oliver Oken looking frustrated.

"Ok, that's it. First, the softball team hires a skywriter to turn me down, and now the girls' basketball team puts posters all over town. I mean, rejection is hard, but…" a pained look took over his features.

Miley rubbed on his shoulder in support. "It'll be ok."

Oliver, quickly replied, "Yeah" with a bitten lip, and turned around in his desk, facing the blackboard as Mr. Corelli entered the room.

"Gooooooood Morning Seeeeeeaaaaviiiieeewww!" Mr. Corelli merrily greeted, his floppy blonde curls hanging into his eyes, bouncing as he strolled to the front and leaned against the desk. "Ok, my little Romanticists…time to turn in those stories of woe. Hope they're good cos I'm planning on grading them….ahhhhTODAY." He pointed down at the floor for emphasis. "Yeah, Valentines' Day didn't go well for me, since my mother decided that she was the most important person in my life and kicked out my date."

The class merely looked at him with a mixture of confusion and pitiable eyebrows as he admitted to a bit of unnecessary information about his personal life. Corelli continued, with a shrug. "Since you have a test coming up, we're going to make today a free period. So….discuss. And pass forward those essays." Waving his fingers towards the front for emphasis, he began collecting each row's group, the din of the classroom at a low clamor as each student began forming study groups. Naturally, Miley, Lilly, and Oliver had scoot their desks to face each other, knowing fair well that there was to be no discussion of the test.

Oliver, though boy-brained and put out due to his latest rejection, looked at Lilly's forced enthusiasm as they settled, knowing that this wasn't the Lilly he had known and grown to love like a sister. "Hey, what's up with you? You look like you're either unhappy or like you've got gas." he commented, causing an irritated glance from the blonde haired girl.

"I'm fine Oliver." she thought a moment. "I'm just….really nervous about my paper."

"But I thought you were going to proofread it over the weekend," Miley noted, turning her head to focus on Lilly.

"I did. I mean, I just really need a good grade on this to get my Mom off of my back." Lilly fibbed, adjusting herself in the uncomfortable chair.

"I don't think that's what you're worried about, Lilly." Miley glanced at Oliver, then back at Lilly, tapping her pen on the desk.

"Miley, can we not do this…"

"It's ok Lilly." Miley turned to Oliver, smiling. "I think she has something to tell you."

"NoMileynotnowpleasenotnowwehavetotalk" Lilly scrambled, trying to get Miley to stop talking about her perceived emotions.

"Ok. Well, talk." Miley waved her hand, indicating that the blonde had the floor.

"Privately." Lilly mumbled, her shoulders slouched as she knew that her unrequited love was soon to be open and criticized, because once Miley set her mind to something, she got what she wanted due to her perseverance.

"Oh. Great. Leave me out of the loop." Oliver threw his hands up in frustration, his voice starting to raise.

"No, Oliver, it's not like that. It's….girl stuff." Lilly tried to comfort her friend.

"It's alright. I get it. You're gonna talk about boys, and makeup, and ewwww." Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Well, one boy." Miley's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Miley, no." Lilly begged, knowing fair well that the words that slipped out a split second afterwards were bound to be aired.

"Lilly likes you."

Oliver, looked at Lilly, then back at Miley, back to Lilly, and back to Miley once again. "WHAT?"

Lilly threw her head back in frustration, swearing up and down that if Miley was any more oblivious to her emotions, then she'd just have to outright kiss her to make her see, make her feel.

"NO! Miley, I DON'T LIKE OLIVER LIKE THAT!" Lilly finally huffed out in frustration, not realizing that her voice startled the class into staring at their tiff.

Mr. Corelli, glanced up from his papers. "Quieten down, please."

"Well, that's just great, Lilly…." Oliver began, before being interrupted by Lilly.

"NO, IT'S NOT GREAT!" Lilly stood in a huff, hands on her hips.

"Lilly…take your seat…" Mr. Corelli warned, watching the unfolding of the sudden burst of emotions. He had currently been reading a passage of Lilly's paper when he realized what had been set in motion by the arguing friends, and feared she would out her emotions in front of everybody.

At the orders of her teacher, Lilly flopped back in her desk, and Oliver continued. "Lilly, let me finish. I was gonna say that I don't like you like that either. It's just….weird. Like dating my sister or something." Oliver shuddered and hugged himself. "Though, gotta admit…kind of a blow to be rejected by your best friend in front of everybody." He smiled.

Lilly, blushing at her outburst and feeling remorseful yet relieved at Oliver's admission, she sighed. "O-oh. Uhm…yeah. Sorry about that."

A confused look crossed Miley's face, her hand brought to her chin in thought. "But Lilly, when we were at the premier the other night…you didn't tell me that. You just…stayed quiet."

Lilly closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath, knowing that this state of emotions was coming to a fast close. "Ok, Miley. I…I don't know EXACTLY how to tell you this…" she paused, trying to find her bearings, before continuing.

"Tell me what?" Miley's voice gently coaxed, genuine concern luminating from her eyes, as she rested her hand on Lilly's to cajole the information out of her.

Lilly's back stiffened at the sudden contact, her lip trembling as her confession began to pour from her lips. "You…you were kind of right. There IS someone I like, but…I don't think they are gonna feel the same way…"

Miley leaned in, waiting in anticipation to hear Lilly's secret. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't shared this information with her prior, until a sudden spark hit her brain and her eyes widened and looked up, randomly staring into space in shock. 'Oh sweet niblets', she thought, knowing exactly where Lilly's words were about to lead. Miley's cheeks flushed abruptly, wondering why she hadn't seen it earlier. The signs were there, and yet she was too blind to see. Clearing her throat, she inveigled Lilly once again. "Ok, ya gonna finish that statement before Oliver grows another chest hair?"

"Hey. I have the one…and it's doing fine." He patted his chest proudly. Frustrated, Miley twisted her fingers in a pinch against his chest and pulled it out, causing him to squelch in a girly scream. "Not no more. Now, stop interrupting. Lilly…go ahead." Miley turned her attention back to her friend, her heart racing as she waited impatiently, rubbing Lilly's hand in support.

That mere display of affection, whether as a friendly touch or as an understanding and accepting stroke, courage and excitability entered Lilly's heart and mind, and a slight embarrassed smile crossed her face. "Well…to be honest…I like…or…rather, I have a crush on…" Her words were interrupted yet again to the bell resounding through the hallways, signaling the end of class. Lilly sat, mouth agape as yet again her confession was interrupted.

"Lilly, can I see you for a moment" Mr. Corelli called, waving her over.

"Sure." She acknowledged, turning back to Miley and Oliver. "I'll see you both at lunch, then." Lilly sighed, shoulders tensed that yet again, her plot to find love has been foiled yet again.

"Sure. We'll finish the conversation there." Miley nodded, her eyes speaking volumes of sweetness, yet confusion, and walked out of the classroom, planning to take all of her next class period to contemplate her own feelings.

Lilly merely watched the swaying of Miley's hips as she made her exit, swearing that someone out there was controlling her life just to frustrate the living hell out of her. Begrudgingly she walked up to Mr. Corelli's desk. "What's up, Mr. C?"

"I wanna talk to you about your essay…" His normally cheerful face had dropped to concern.

**AN: Yaaay. More TBC fun. I'd like to thank you all for reviewing…and enjoying Miley's obliviousness. To answer your question, rose, this is rated M because I let the characters carry me away, whether sexual situations, heavy language, or violence comes, not saying they will…(though a few of them might) I'm just being prepared for the unexpected. I also wanted to apologize for this chapter not being exactly up to my standards or so I feel it isn't …I've been working major overtime lately, and my brain has been fried. But anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed it.**


	4. David Cassidy's Woe

**AN: Ok, I'm back. Can I get two stomps and a clap in this biotch? Lol. Sorry. I'm a little hyper, and have a million ideas in my head and need to get them going. Anywho, I'd like to say that if you haven't really read 'My Destiny', I'd highly suggest reading it before continuing this chapter. Not because the chapter won't make sense, but I worked hard on it. Lol. Also, I'm tossing a cookie to Stupid-Lollies for the eagle eye comment. Kudos.**

**Once again, I own nothing of the Montana-verse. Never claimed to. **

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Lilly approached Corelli's desk apprehensively, quietly wishing that there wasn't anything wrong with her essay. She figured it probably has something to do with her sudden outburst she had in the middle class.

"You wanted to talk to me, Mr. C?" Lilly chewed her bottom lip, watching his reaction as he held up her essay.

"Yes, Lilly. I just finished your essay. And I have to say that I never expected this out of you." He tapped the paper onto the desk, standing.

Lilly gulped down a breath, her heart suddenly in her ears, racing. 'My essay wasn't that bad' she thought as she idly popped a knuckle. "S-sorry, Mr. Corelli." She apologized, wondering what exactly had gone wrong.

Mr. Corelli chuckled. "Why are you apologizing Lilly? This is superb work! I wanted to ask your permission to publish this in a compilation of poems and short stories."

Lilly's eyes widened as she exhaled hard, relieved that she wasn't in trouble. "Oh-oh! Well thank you. But I feel kinda bad. I didn't work hard on the assignment. Do you really think it's worth publishing?"

Mr. Corelli placed a finger against his overly bushy goatee and nodded. "You have real talent for the written word. That is, if you let your emotions go. The proof is in the pudding here." He tapped the paper, smiling.

"Well, then sure. If you think it's good enough to publish, go for it." Lilly shrugged, adjusting her hat, suddenly proud of her thrown together work.

"Well, thank you Miss Truscott. I'll put it in for submission later in the week. I just have one favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Lilly queried.

"I would highly suggest you change this one typo." He pointed down at the red circled 'Miley' in her essay. Lilly's face flushed with sudden embarrassment, searching her head for words. Corelli patted her shoulder, nodding. "Don't worry Lilly. It's not as bad as my typo when I was your age. I accidentally left 'Thomas' in my paper instead of changing it to 'Kristin'. Except I had to see a psychologist because of it."

Lilly, shocked, lifted her head from the paper to meet Mr. Corelli's eyes. "You mean, you're…"

"Yeah, but keep it on the D.L. You're the only student that knows, ok. I just wanted to say, if you need anyone to talk to, hey…I've been in your shoes." Mr. Corelli grinned, and flipped his wrist towards the door. "Now shoo. You'll be late for your next class."

Lilly readjusted her books in her arms and smiled, oddly comforted by the fact that Mr. Corelli had 'come out' to her, and vowed to never tell a soul. "Don't worry, Mr. C. Your secret is safe with me. And…thanks."

******************

Miley sat upon her stool by her workstation in Chemistry, kicking her feet against the wooden partition between her and her lab partner, who happened to be Oliver, staring blankly at the table of elements in thought. Her goggles hung lazily around her throat as Oliver began mixing their project of the day, adding zinc filings to the beaker upon the burner.

"Miley, are you going to help out or am I going to do this all on my own. Add the hydrochloric acid." Oliver scolded, slightly peeved that Miley seemed to be in her own world.

"Oh…yeah sure." She blinked, accidentally grabbing the bottle of sulfur powder and adding it to the mix, searching for the stirring rod.

"Miley…what are you doing?" Oliver started backing away slowly, as Miley grabbed the wire that was sitting in the flame of the Bunsen burner with a gloved hand.

"I'm finishing the experiment, duh. God, Oliver…you're on my case if I don't pay attention, and now you're freaking out because I'm helping. Make up your mind!" Frustrated, she dipped the red-hot wire into the mixture, causing a cloud of putrid smoke to arise from the beaker, her eyes widening at the unwanted reaction that occurred.

Ms. Leiding, their chemistry teacher, preoccupied with another student, sharply glanced up at the duo before the fetid smoke bomb Miley accidentally created, and covered her nose and mouth with her lab coat. "Ok, everyone! Open the windows and exit the classroom!" She choked out, quickly charging the windows and ushering students out. The fire alarm rang out sharply, activating the sprinklers, catching the school's occupants in the spray.

As all the classrooms quickly evacuated the school, Miley walked out, soaking wet and peeved at her mistake. Oliver shook his head and rang the water out from his shirt, looking at his lab partner and friend with disbelief as he shook his head. "What has been on your mind this period?"

Miley looked at the wet Oliver, stunned. "I don't know Oliver. I'm just…thinking."

"Would have been nice if you were focused on CHEMISTRY rather than whatever ELSE you were thinking of." His water logged shoes squished underneath his weight as they made their way to the meeting area.

"Sor-RY. I just…I'm kinda doing a little soul searching." Miley shrugged, focused on the gym class that was making it's way from the football field, seeing Lilly dressed in her loose fitting yellow and green gym uniform jogging to the center of the field at the gym class meeting spot. Miley's cobalt eyes glazed with a faraway fantasy, setting everything in slow motion.

Oliver, squinting his eyes in suspicion, glanced towards the subject of Miley's fixed stare, perked his brow. "Hey…Miley. Miiiiiiley." He waved his hand in front of her face, hoping to break the sudden spell that she fell under. With a blink, Miley frowned and grabbed Oliver's hand, stopping his interruption.

"Ok, what is with you? I mean, you're staring at Lilly like…" Oliver paused, "Oh…my…God…you like Lilly, don't you?"

Miley, shocked, shook her head quickly. "NoIdon't" she muttered quickly, trying to glance past him.

"Yes…you do. The last time you had that look in your eyes is when Jake Ryan was still going here. I'd recognize that look anywhere." He folded his arms, bemused.

With a sudden twist, Miley pushed Oliver up against the tree, knocking the wind out of him. "Ok, fine. I like Lilly. I think. I don't know." She chewed her cheek. "I don't know what I feel about her. But…I think she likes me."

Oliver sighed. "I know she likes you, Miley. She has since you moved here."

Miley looked at Oliver in disbelief. "Wet head best friend say whaa?"

"Yeah. Look, back when you first moved to Malibu, Lilly started getting all these…confused feelings. And she came to me to talk about them. She used to call them…boy-feelings." He scrunched his face in distaste as he mentioned Lilly's nickname for her confusion.

"Boy-feelings?" Miley queried.

"Yeah. Y'know. Like how a boy feels about a girl, and a girl feels about a boy? She pined over you, Miles. She used to come over crying after hanging out with you because she didn't know what to do."

A guilty look crossed Miley's face as she slunk her shoulders down, disappointed that she hadn't noticed it before. "I…if I would have known that…"

"She didn't want you to know. Your friendship means more to her than anything else, and Lilly didn't want to tell you cos she was afraid she'd lose you if she told you." Oliver spoke softly, putting a hand on Miley's shoulder.

A tear stung Miley's eyes, glancing past Oliver's shoulder to see Lilly sitting upon the grass, laughing and joking with Joanie Palumbo. "How could I have been so blind…" Miley's voice wavered.

"You don't have to be. Just…what do you feel about her?" Oliver cocked his head to listen closely.

"Well, I….she's my best friend. And she's always been there for me for everything." Miley began, trying to form her thoughts into words.

"No, Miles. What do you FEEL?" Oliver took hold of Miley's shoulders, trying to coerce the information out of her.

"I…I feel…" she paused, closing her eyes. "I can't deal with this right now. I….I just can't." Miley huffed, pushing Oliver's hands down and walking away, barely hearing the principal dismissing the classes for the rest of the day, and started walking to her car, wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

*********************

Lilly grouchily skateboarded up to the Stewart residence, her shoulders tensed in disappointing anxiety. It wasn't like Miley to ditch her in the parking lot after school, especially if there was an early release. Kicking her board up to her hand and propping it against the door gently, she was about to let herself in, until the sound of a guitar being strummed nimbly and a light, yet husky voice singing soulfully pierced the double doors of the entrance to the Stewart abode. Lilly paused, cracked the door gently, and listened. She recognized it from when her Mom would be rocking to the oldies, and had explained the whole television show band phenomena to her.

I'm sleeping

And right in the middle of a good dream

When all at once I wake up

From something that keeps knockin' at my brain.

Before I go insane

I hold my pillow to my head

And spring up in my bed

Screaming out the words I dread:

"I think I love you!"

This morning

I woke up with this feeling

I didn't know how to deal with

And so I just decided to myself

I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it

And didn't I go and shout it

When you walked into the room.

"I think I love you!"

I think I love you.

So what am I so afraid of?

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of

A love there is no cure for.

I think I love you.

Isn't that what life is made of?

Though it worries me to say

That I've never felt this way.

I don't know what I'm up against.

I don't know what it's all about.

I got so much to think about.

Hey, I think I love you.

So what am I so afraid of?

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of

A love there is no cure for.

I think I love you.

Isn't that what life is made of?

Though it worries me to say

That I've never felt this way.

Believe me,

You really don't have to worry.

I only want to make you happy

And if you say,

"Hey, go away," I will

But I think better still,

I'd better stay around and love you.

Do you think I have a case?

Let me ask you to your face:

Do you think you love me?

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

I think I love you.

As Miley set down the guitar, she took a deep breath and hung her head down gently. "Lilly, I know you're out there…." She perked her brow to the slightly opened door, hearing a startled Lilly fall with a loud 'oomph,' before opening the door and walking in, flushed.

"Hi…." Lilly kept her gaze focused on the ground.

"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you after classes let out….I just…needed time to think." Miley stared at her hands, twiddling her thumbs, unsure what else to say.

"Uhm…look, Miley…I…I know I was trying to say something…earlier…in Mr. Corelli's class…." Lilly scuffed her shoe against the hardwood floor, slightly uncomfortable at the unspoken confrontation.

"You don't have to…" Miley interrupted. "I know."

"You-you do?" Lilly looked up at the pensive Miley, sighing. "Oh. Uhm…well, I'll…if you want me to leave…""No. I-I don't want that." Miley flipped her russet locks from her eyes, voice lowered and accent becoming predominant, which tipped Lilly to the emotion that was pouring from Miley. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because. I was afraid." Becoming comfortable with the flow of the conversation, Lilly crept closer to the couch and flopped next to Miley, "I was afraid that if I told you, then you'd not want to hang around me anymore. And I'd rather have friendship than nothing at all."

"Lilly!" Miley turned to look at her flaxen haired companion and grasped her hand. "I could never throw away our friendship because of something like that." Miley took a deep breath, her words lost.

A weak smile crossed Lilly's face. "S'ok, Miley. You don't have to like me back. I'm just…happy that you…I guess….accept me." She reached over to squeeze Miley in a hug, only to be pushed back.

"I know I don't have to like you back. But…I think I do." A baffled, yet smiling face broke on Miley's tanned features. "I mean, I love you as my BFF…and you've always been there for me. I guess I just didn't look past my own nose to see that you'd make a great catch. The…idea really never popped into my head."

Lilly, confused at Miley's words, looked at her perplexed. "Uhm…so what are you trying to say?"

"Sorry. Let me reword that…" Grasping onto Lilly's wrist, Miley leaned forward, coming within close proximity of Lilly's face, staring deep into the indigo eyes of the confused girl before her, and smiled. Their hearts were racing with anticipation, Lilly wondering what was going to happen, and Miley, at the nerves of her intent. With a slow, languid lick of her lips, she gave Lilly a tender, warm kiss, Miley's right hand raised to caress Lilly's cheek gently, as the connection, the spark grew between them from that mere exchange of affection.

Miley, resting her forehead against her newfound sweetheart, she smirked and whispered in an oh-so-gentle voice. "You understand now?"

Lilly, dumbfounded, shocked, and astonished, a distant and stunned look of love struck glory upon her face merely squeaked "Uhhhhhh huuuuuuuhhhhh."

"Oh, and to answer your next question, no, it's not a dream, and…" Lilly took a second, gave Miley a quick kiss to interrupt her next statement, and stood, doing a set of quick back flips through the room.

"Boy, that girl really DOES got it bad…" Miley merely watched, grinning, pleased with herself and this new adventure she had thrown herself into.

**AN: YAAAAY! Our Girls have FINALLY gone through with it and cut the tension. Woot! But I promise you there will be much, much, MUCH more drama coming up. I'm hoping y'all stay tuned for the next installment.**

**Oh, and the song… "I Think I Love You"…is not mine either. Belongs to David Cassidy…or the Partridge Family…or whoever wrote the song. Y'know the deal.**

**Also, I did include a recipe on how to make a smoke bomb in here. Please, do not try this at home. It's smelly and gross. AND DANGEROUS.**

**Oh, and once again, thanks to my reviewers and adders and favorites. Glad to have you aboard!**


	5. Dreaming of Danger

**AN: Ok, ok. So I'm back. Especially now that FF is back up. *kicks it in the butt* Don't do that to us again!!! Anywho, classic disclaimer entered here. I own nothing, Disney and that group over yonder does. And I curse it every day.**

**Also, wanted to give a shoutout to J.S. Jamesbrooke, who may not realize it, but has fed my muse, and through my many ramblings to her, has helped me work through this chapter. Thanks.**

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"_I can't believe you'd do this!" Lilly spat, an irritated and outraged look remained plastered on her face, gritting her teeth._

"_I'm sorry, Lil. I had to. If I didn't…" Miley's face pouted in exasperation, hands on Lilly's shoulders to try and make her understand her point._

"_DON'T…." Lilly cleared her throat. "Don't…touch…me." She pushed Miley's hands away angrily. "After ALL that trouble I WENT through…and you…you pull this out of nowhere."_

_Miley reached out to grasp Lilly's hand, hoping that contact would make it better. "Lil…if you'd let me finish…"_

_A flash of anger clouded Lilly's eyes, rearing her fist back with a clenched jaw…._

Gasping for air, Lilly shot straight up in her bed, the sheets kicked fully off of her full sized mattress, her clothes soaked in sweat. "Holy shit…" she muttered, panting, wondering where such an angry dream could have come from.

Miley and she had discussed how they were going to handle their relationship earlier in the evening. After a lengthy discussion on how their peers in the school and on the streets would handle this news, and Lilly hinting around Mr. Corelli's warning, they both came to the conclusion that it would be for the best, and for their own safety, that the relationship remained a close guarded secret, with the exception of Oliver and their families.

Glancing at the alarm clock begrudgingly, Lilly ran her hands through her sweaty, tangled blonde trusses. "Only 3 in the morning…." she sighed. "It's going to be an extra-sugar on the Sugar Crunchies this morning." She mumbled to herself, getting up and wandering to the bathroom for a shower, figuring that since she was up, might as well get started on what was going to be a very long day.

***************

Miley sat at the breakfast bar, humming happily as she munched on a blueberry pancake, wide awake despite the lack of sleep she had that night. She was much too excited about the many prospects of dating Lilly, despite the fact that it was going to be on the down low.

"Well, ain't ya happier than Uncle Earl in an 'All You Can Eat' steakhouse?" Robbie Ray noted on his daughter's upbeat mood. "What happen? Jackson stub his toe racin' ya down the stairs to breakfast?" He chuckled, gaining an annoyed glance from his son.

"Y'know, Dad…just cos it was that ONE time…" Jackson frustratingly pointed out, shoving half a stack of pancakes into his mouth.

Miley glanced at her brother's disgusting table manners and scoffed. "No." She flipped her hair and looked back to her father. "Actually, Lilly and I have something to tell you…"

Within that statement, Lilly, fresh faced and squirrelly, rushed into the Stewart's home with a giant grin, seeming to be very hyper. "G'." Lilly's words dazed both the Stewart men.

"Huhhhhhh?" Robbie Ray and Jackson spoke up at once, looking at the overengergized teen.

Miley cracked a smile, perking her brow. "Too much sugar on the Sugar Crunchies again?"

"Liiiiiil biiiit…", Lilly squeaked, a never-ending smile plastered on her face.

Miley shook her head. "Well, to answer your question, Miss Maniac…I haven't yet. I was waitin' on you." Miley hopped off the barstool and took Lilly's hand.

"You ACTUALLY understood what she said, Bud?" Robbie Ray looked at his daughter in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah. It's an acquired talent." She dismissed her knowledge of hyper lips as unimportant. Taking a deep breath, she started the admission. "Well, I said that Lilly and I had news…and we do." She started, wondering how to continue, gauging her family members reactions.

Jackson merely stuffed the rest of his pancakes in his mouth, coming across as uninterested in news that his little sister could possibly have, and Robbie Ray stood leaning against the sink, arms folded, a blank look on his face.

"Ok." Miley grasped Lilly's hand tighter, feeling as if she was about to hyperventilate. "Lilly and I…well…we're together…."

"I can see that, Miles." Robbie Ray nodded to the two of them, not moving his stance, egging his daughter on.

"No, Daddy…I mean…we…we love each other." Miley chewed her bottom lip in worry, watching her father's face change from the blank slate it was to an infuriated glare.

"LILLIAN TRUSCOTT?!" He stormed closer to the two girls, the floor shaking with his livid stomp.

"OhboyOhboyOhboyOhboyOhboyOhboyOhboyOhboy!!!!" Lilly closed her eyes. 'Didn't he already give me his blessing' she thought, waiting for the worst. Miley's face flushed, hoping and praying that he wouldn't kick either of them out or worse.

"It's ABOUT DANG TIME, GIRL!!!" Billy Ray laughed, wrapping his arms around Lilly, her eyes popping open in shocked relief as he squeezed her in a bear hug and spun her around the room.

"Mr. S…can…you let go now?" Lilly squeaked, overtaken by her girlfriend's father's immense joy for them.

"Sorry about that….It's just…finally…." He sighed, setting Lilly down gently and wrapping his arm around Miley. "Proud of ya, Bud. Had a talk with her the other day…jus' glad she took my advice and finally told ya." He kissed his daughter on the head and smiled proudly, turning to Jackson. "Ya got anything to tell your sister?"

"Yeah. I'm happy for ya. Just remember…my bedroom's next to yours…I don't wanna be hearin' no noises from your room." Jackson grabbed the half gallon of milk and chugged down half of it. Both girls found themselves red faced and flustered at his comment.

"Jackson Rod Stewart! I make PANCAKES with that milk…" Robbie Ray scolded, and turned to the girls with an amused look. "I don't wanna hear them noises either, or the shotgun's comin' out." He winked, making the motion of cocking a gun and pointing it at Lilly, making her pale in fear.

"I'm kiddin'…sorta. Jus' to set the record straight…I'm'a gonna treat you like I'd treat anyone who was datin' my daughter…'cept I'll give ya ten seconds on the porch."

"Daddy…" Miley warned, her voice sounding not amused.

"Hey…take what ya can, Bud." Robbie Ray chuckled, walking back to the sink to start the morning dishes.

Rolling her eyes, Miley laced her fingers with Lilly's and led her towards the door. "C'mon…if we don't go now, we're gonna be late…"

***************

The school hallways were abuzz with pre-class rituals, from discussing the homework, to gossiping on who's with who. As Miley and Lilly entered the double doors of their teenage institution, they unlocked their fingers from each other. Though it hurt Lilly tremendously to do so, she knew it was for the best.

Oliver came running towards the duo with purpose, winded from his jog. "Hey…guys…" he panted, hands on his knees.

"Oliver, why were you running? Was someone threatening to beat you up again?" Lilly queried, her hands on her hips.

"No…" he coughed, holding his finger up in a 'one second' motion, while he caught his breath. "Someone…put Lilly's essay…in the school paper…" he coughed.

"Yeah…I know. I gave Mr. Corelli the permission to publish it. I didn't know he'd put it in the paper too." Lilly looked a little pensive, hoping he corrected her mistake before publishing it.

"Oh…" Oliver looked stunned. "Well, it's really good." He sighed, his breath finally catching up to him.

"Thanks, Oken. Now…scoot. I have to…uh…have a girl-talk with Miley" Lilly acknowledged his praise, hoping he caught her hint.

A large grin crossed Oliver's face as he stood, nodding, spying a blonde haired Sophomore that he hadn't met before, "No problemo, Lil-lay. I'll just be…over there…hunting." He gave a thumbs up before chasing after the unsuspecting girl.

Miley rolled her eyes. "That boy needs some serious help…" she mumbled, wondering what Lilly wanted to tell her. "So…what's up?"

Grabbing one of the newspapers from the stack, Lilly quickly searched for her essay, and pointed it out to Miley. "Here. I want you to read this. I….I wrote this for my paper because it was how I always felt. Like I was so close to you, yet so far." She explained as Miley began to read.

It seemed like an eternity as Miley examined the paper. Lilly shifted a bit uncomfortably, hoping that she wouldn't think it silly or idiotic. The warning bell for their first class echoed through the halls, and Miley stood, as if she was hypnotized by the words on the recycled newsprint. Lilly watched as the remaining few students entered their classrooms, leaving them alone in the hallways.

"M-miley? Are you ok?" Lilly quietly asked, the newspaper shook slightly under Miley's firm grip.

"I didn't know…." The singer's voice cracked with emotion.

"No, Miley…don't cry…please. It wasn't meant to be mean." Lilly pleaded, her eyes sympathetically gleaming.

"I'm not crying because of that…it's…it's beautiful." Miley lowered the paper and wiped a tear, smiling. With a sudden flop of the paper to the tiled overlay of the school's floor, Miley embraced Lilly tightly, kissing her with a heartfelt emotion that she had never felt before.

That was, until, a little flash of light pierced the dingy halls.

The girls broke their tender embrace to locate the source of the illumination, to find a short, underhanded Hispanic boy with a conniving grin on his face.

"Niiiiiiice. This will go GREAT as the school's screensaver." He flashed the girls a toothy grin, tossed his head back, and laughed manically. "MWAH HAHAHA!!!!"

Miley glared and hissed. "Rico…"

**Lucky's Notes: Hehe. Sorry. I felt like throwing Rico into the mix. Thought it would be funny as all get out. And it is. I amuse myself sometimes.**

**Once again, thank you to all my reviewers and favorers. It means so much to me to see that my work is appreciated…especially considering that I lose sleep to do this. Lol. Keep watching this space for updates!**


	6. ClickClash

**AN: WOW! I must have hit a nerve with the all-so sly Rico!! LMAO! Thanks to all who reviewed and favored. **

**Once again, I own nothing, and am not planning on it…**

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"That's right. In the flesh, toots." Rico snapped his camera phone shut, placing it in his jeans pocket.

Lilly folded her arms defensively, glowering at the intelligent yet manipulative rich boy. "Rico, you HAVE to give us that picture back?"

"Why? Once this baby gets around school, everyone will leave this HANDSOME, INTELLIGENT…RICH guy alone." He ran his fingers through his hair, emphasizing his narcissism.

Miley, a frown placed upon her pouty, high glossed lips, lifted the boy and slammed him against the locker. "Gimme the phone, Rico." She seethed through clenched teeth.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA, there, Chipmunk Cheeks…calm down." Rico threw his hands in front of him defensively. Miley glared and let him slide down the locker, allowing his feet to touch the ground, though still keeping a firm grip on his collar. "Look, you'll get the picture back…as long as I get something in return."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you want?" She huffed, glaring daggers as the diminutive boy shrugged Miley's grip off of his collar and readjusted his shirt.

"Look, all I need is a couple test subjects for my Sociology research. Since I can't get volunteers…I'll gladly take a few blackmailed subjects." He cracked his knuckles and smiled darkly.

Miley and Lilly both glanced at each other with a pensive look, silently discussing with each other whether or not to fall into Rico's trap. With a chewed cheek and a murky glare, Miley answered broodingly. "FINE…but you have to SWEAR that when this is done…we get the picture returned to us or deleted."

"Hey, no problem, toots. You got a deal. Just meet me at the Shack after school. We'll start then." Rico smirked and turned his heel, walking away with a rushed pace to get to his class. The two girls merely watched him walk away with a worried glance before adjourning to their own classes, both curious as to what Rico had in store for them.

*****************

As promised, Lilly and Miley arrived at Rico's Surf Shop promptly after school. Lilly sat upon one of the wooden beach chairs, trying to relax to no avail, chewing a cuticle nervously. "Whaddya think he's gonna make us do?" She quietly asked of her pacing, dark haired girlfriend, tapping her foot anxiously.

"I really don't know. I mean, sociology has to do with the study of social reactions, right?" Miley kicked a bit of sand, looking for the stunted Hispanic boy.

"Well, that's putting it broadly. I'm not sure exactly what it is." Lilly stood, running her fingers through her blonde hair uneasily. Miley headed to the counter to see if Rico was hiding underneath it, when a loud 'HEY-O!' from behind her was heard, startling her.

Rico, hiding something behind his back, smiled broadly. "Hello, ladies. Thanks for showing up. Like you had a choice." He rocked on his heels, his devious smile staying on his face.

With an angry glare, Miley folded her arms. "Ok, Rico. Enough game-playing. What is it that you need us to do?"

"Well, I've got these flyers I need you two to hand out." He handed Miley a set of pink flyers and Lilly a set of blue flyers, both advertising a free hotdog with every flyer. Of course, there was a limit of one per customer, saving his profits.

"That's it? I thought it would be something a little more difficult. Especially for Sociology." Lilly muttered, looking at the handout with disbelief.

"Oh, don't worry. That's not all." Rico produced a pair of bikinis with his other hand, grinning wider than ever. "You gotta wear these."

With a look of incredulity, Miley folded her arms yet again and stared. "Teeny weenie meany say wha?"

"Hey, I told ya, toots. It's for my research. I wanna see which attracts more…blondes, or brunettes. Hence the different color flyers. I'm going to count them down by the end of the day to see who got the most." Rico handed each girl their 'costume'. "Only one rule though. You can't give anyone a flyer unless they talk to you. No giving them out just to get rid of them. Now…scoot. I hope you enjoy the bikinis. Picked them up myself." He adjusted his collar proudly and turned heel to the shack, perching himself upon the counter.

Lilly touched the fabric warily, frowning. "This thing is gonna give me a wedgie."

Miley, who hadn't bothered to look past the top, turned the bottoms around to find a thong bottom, her eyes widened.

"Oh sweet niblets…"

*******************

Miley and Lilly had been at their task for about an hour, having begrudgingly changed into their provided outfits, both feeling more naked then they ever had in public. Rico, amused with his own ingenious plan to manipulate the girls he felt were the two best looking who attended Seaview High, merely watched as the guys, as well as a couple girls, flocked to the separated duo, claiming their flyers with confused looks, only to retrieve their free food.

Lilly, clearly uncomfortable with the thin piece of fabric hiding her womanhood, and standing stiffly to avoid the string to ride too high. Her face was flushed as she glanced over at Miley, seeming to be a bit more comfortable in her outfit. Lilly's gaze wandered from her collarbone, to the swell of her tanned breasts, focusing lower to her taut stomach…and…

'Yiiiiiikes'…Lilly's eyes widened as she realized, all of a sudden, that if she focused, long enough, she was able to tell Miley's Brazilian bikini line. She nearly fainted, until a smooth, Southern voice from behind her made her backbone twinge.

"Well, hey there, pretty mama." Lilly turned to glare at the faceless voice, until she realized who it was.

"JACKSON!!!" Grabbing a few flyers, she attempted to hide her bikini'd form, a crimson blush crossing her face.

"LILLY!" He jumped back, nearly knocking over a table in his own alarm, blinking. "What in the Sam heck are ya doin'?" He tried to keep his eyes focused upon his sister's girlfriend's face, finding it to be a difficult task.

"Well, Rico kinda conned us into doing this for him." Lilly explained, still uncomfortable at the confrontation, giving Jackson a handout.

Glancing at it briefly, smiling at a free hot dog, then realizing Lilly said 'we'. "Wait…who else is doin' this with you?" He queried, as Lilly pointed to his sister, handing another boy a flyer.

Jackson, his face turning red as anger and embarrassment for his little sister overtook him, grabbed a stray surfboard and charged Miley, placing it in front of her protectively. "MILES?! WHAT ARE YA DOIN'?" He hollered, shooing away a bunch of wannabe suitors.

"Jackson, not now. I have to do this." Miley huffed, hoping that Lilly and her 'paperwork' would be over soon.

"Why? How'd the little weasel con you and Lilly into this mess?" He gave Miley a concerned look before turning to another young man and growling like a mad dog, making him scamper away.

"Jackson, it's a long story…you don't wanna…." Miley began, only to be interrupted by a perturbed Rico.

"JACKSON! GET AWAY FROM THEM!" he hopped off of the counter with a huff, storming towards the older former employee. "I need them for my little experiment."

"Yeah, I'm sure. What is it, Rico? An experiment on how you can manipulate people into doin' stuff that they don't wanna do. It's called blackmail, and it's illegal, brotha." Jackson folded his arms, knowing that he had to have some form of dirt on the girls to get them to do such a deed.

"Well, unless they finish this test for me, then their little secret's gonna be revealed." Rico, though his stature small, stood toe-to-toe with the sandy blonde man with impudence, daring him to start something.

"That's it Rico…I've had ENOUGH of you HUMILIATING PEOPLE for your ENTERTAINMENT!" Jackson's fist clenched angrily, angrily glaring at his former young employer, his nostrils flaring with fury.

"Oh really. And WHAT do YOU plan on DOING about it?" Rico shoved Jackson in the chest, pushing him slightly back.

That was the last straw; with a flash of sand and shirt, Jackson grabbed the undersized boy by the throat, throttling him slowly.

"JACKSON! STOP!" Miley grasped at her brother's tight clutch against the boy's throat, trying to pry his fingers away from his windpipe. The beachgoers stopped their doings to gather around the fight that had started, observing with dark amusement.

With clenched teeth, Jackson barely registered Miley's voice advising him to end his strangle hold. With a livid glower, he released the now coughing Rico from his grasp. Taking a second thought to show the boy a lesson, Jackson suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and shorts, lofting him over the boardwalk to the beach below, hearing a satisfyingly loud thud of his body hitting the ground. Jackson casually dusted his hands and took a deep breath, his chest puffed out proudly at his show of strength.

The entire beach seemed to stare at the ongoings with disbelief, especially the dumbstruck Miley and Lilly. The two glanced at each other with an odd relief, walking up to the slowly calming Jackson.

"C'mon, Jackson. Let's get home…" Miley whispered, lacing her arm with her older brothers, touched that he cared enough to defend Lilly and her honor as he did.

"And Jackson?" Lilly piped up, a small bounce in her step. Jackson turned and looked at the bikini clad blonde. "Thanks."

"Anythin' for my girls." He wrapped his arm around Lilly's shoulder, escorting them both back to the Stewart household, secretly praying that Rico wouldn't take legal action.

***************

The morning after the Jackson/Rico incident at the beach was slightly tense. Though Robbie Ray was less than amused at the extortion of the two girls, he did find some form of relief that Jackson had defended and protected both Miley and Lilly from what could have been a dangerous situation. The police hadn't shown up knocking at the Stewart's door, which was a good sign, and through research of her own, Lilly found that if Jackson was going to get in trouble for battery, then Rico could get into his own for blackmail.

The girls, after their morning ritual, climbed into Miley's car with delight, free from the worry of Rico's threat. It was going to be a brand new day, one where they would both be extra careful about sharing their affections in the presence of the school grounds. Taking her time driving to Seaview High to give them a bit of time together, Miley laced her right hand with Lilly's left, stroking her hand softly with her thumb, her heart swelling at the successful conquering of their first trial together; happy that they stuck together through it, though short, but no worse for the wear.

Pulling into her parking spot, Miley's iPod began to play a dark, yet soothing classical piece. Lilly, cocking her head at the beautiful song, squeezed Miley's hand. "What is this? It's kinda…eerie and pretty."

Miley smiled. "It's called Lacrimosa…from The Requiem Mass in D Minor by Mozart. It was his last composition…it's always been my favorite, in a weird way." She smiled a bit sadly, thinking. With a sigh, she looked at Lilly, and closed her eyes again, before explaining the story behind the oddly placed song on her iPod. "It…I first heard this song the day my Mom died. I was in music class…and I didn't know…it…" She bit back a tear, listening to the violins being played skillfully, her breath pausing.

"Mile…I didn't mean…" Lilly put a supportive hand upon her beloved's shoulder in comfort.

"No. It's…it's ok. Did you know that lacrimosa means 'to weep'?" Miley opened her eyes to focus on a concerned sky blue gaze. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she placed a small smile upon her face. "I felt like it was a message from my Mom. The lyrics mean…tearful that day, on which will rise from ashes, guilty man for judgment. So have mercy, O Lord, on this man. Compassionate Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Amen." She said barely above a whisper.

"Wow." Lilly's breath was taken away. "How do you know all that?"

Miley shrugged. "It held a lot of meaning for me. So I researched." With a quick sniffle, she shrugged and fluffed her hair. "Ok, enough of that sad stuff. We better get into the school before we're tardy again." Lilly nodded, still speechless and touched at the admission, vowing to remember that classical piece for future reference.

As the two girls reached the double doors of the entrance, a few snickers could be heard from the closest bank of lockers. Both shrugged it off as unimportant, and continued walking next to each other within an arms length of each other, noticing that the giggles and titters were becoming more predominant in the resonating hallways.

"Did we miss something this morning?" Lilly asked, her brows furrowed in confusion, casually glancing at Miley's back to make sure there were no signs posted on her back.

"No, not that I know of…." Miley sighed, wondering what the big joke could be. With a sudden halt of her heels on the slick tiles of the floor, noticing the bold and permanent 'DYKE' spray-painted in cherry red across both her and Lilly's lockers, numerous copies of Rico's picture wallpapering the bulletin boards.

Both girls froze in their steps, eyes widened in shock, both swallowing their fears as the laughter echoed louder and louder, turning to face the most obnoxious of the hysterics….Amber and Ashley.

"See, Ashley, I always knew they were too pathetic to find a MAN. Even though Truscott kinda looks like one." Amber smirked at her snide comment. Both Lilly and Miley remained speechless, finding it all to hard to absorb that the school had been ignorant to their love just the day before. Ashley nodded in her normal 'yes-man' fashion and giggled.

With a knowing look, Amber smirked. "Oh, nothing to say? Good. Let's keep it that way. Wouldn't want you polluting MY school with your perverse thoughts. I just wanted to give you fair warning…keep your dykey presence out of my way…if you know what's good for you."

Lilly, getting a little peeved at the ribbing that Amber had no right giving them, spoke up. "What's that supposed to mean? And besides, what do you know? That picture could have been photoshopped…" she defended, hoping to hide their relationship again.

Amber laughed and walked away, ignoring Lilly's statement blatantly, with Ashley following closely on her tail. Miley, a worried look on her face, grabbed Lilly's shoulders and spoke softly. "Just grab your books…we'll be safe in class…" Miley knew what was coming; she just had to make sure Lilly and she wasn't separated in the hallways.

**Lucky's Notes: Yaaaay. Another chapter down, an infinite amount of ideas left. Goddess knows I love causing drama, though I think Miley and Lilly are about ready to kick my butt. *siiiigh* Anywho, I should add that I don't own anything Mozart, other than my sheet music, which I have one many a solo contest with my clarinet….hehe. Ok, read and review my dears. Makes me do a happy bounce with a 'yay, yay, yay.' Keep watching this space!!**


	7. Unheard Cries

**AN: Soooo I'm back. I suppose I should place a disclaimer other than the standard 'I own nothing but Disney owns all' blah blah stuff. This chapter was very difficult for me to write, due to the fact that it was based off of a very violent personal experience. This is partially where the rated 'M' comes in. However, I hope you enjoy it. And now, onto the show.**

**BTW…I promised a bounce and a 'yay yay yay' to the reviewers…so…*bouncy bouncy* YAY YAY YAY YAY!!! Lol.**

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The rest of the school day went without a hitch. Even though a few students would mutter obscenities under their breaths or under the guise of a fake cough, or others would just giggle and turn to gossip, no one approached either Miley nor Lilly with malicious intent. Neither Amber or Ashley were anywhere to be seen between classes, and during their lectures, the instigators said naught but a few shared whispers between them. Throughout the day, Miley eyed them worriedly, wondering just what the devious duo was planning. The principal had maintenance take care of the graffiti on the girls' lockers before the end of first period, and it had seemed like the situation was dropped from the word go.

As the final bell releasing the students from their arduous day of learning rang, Miley glanced at Lilly with a shared look of relief that the day had gone well. Smiling, she wandered to her girlfriend's desk, greeted by a hearty stretch of tension relief.

"Well, day one of us being outed is over…" Lilly finished her stretch and put an arm around her chestnut haired sweetheart, smiling in support.

"Yeah, day one. I'm just worried about what's going to happen the rest of week one." Miley chewed her lip, tensing at Lilly's touch. "I'm sorry…it's just…I don't think Amber and Ashley are going to let this go THIS quickly."

"C'mon, Miley. We're in California. Y'know…as my cousin from Chicago says, we 'live with all the rest of the fruits and nuts'." Lilly grinned, hoping her joking would calm Miley's worried state. "So it's not like we're the only two girls to ever be together in this state."

Miley sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm just….I don't think this is over. Not by a long shot." With a drop of her shoulders, Miley grasped Lilly's hand. "C'mon…I think I'll just feel safer back at home."

The drive back to the Stewart residence was a stress reliever for the brunette, allowing the wind whipping through the window to rejuvenate her mood and outlook on the situation. 'Maybe Lilly's right' Miley glanced at her girlfriend with an appreciative grin. 'Maybe it won't be so bad.'

The girls pulled up into the Stewarts' driveway in a much better mood than they had left the school in. As they entered the beachside domicile with their hands firmly clasped together and a grin fixated on each of their features, they were greeted by a lightly snoring Robbie Ray, the newspaper laying across his face as he catnapped.

"Well, I guess there's not going to be a 'how'd your day go, Bud' conversation right now." Lilly said, noting the twitch of Robbie's foot as he dreamt. "Wanna go upstairs?" she queried coolly and quietly.

"WHAT? I-I'm not ready for…" Miley stuttered. "A-and if Daddy…if he found…I…you…he'd shoot…"

"No, you goof. So we can talk and not disturb your Dad's nap," Lilly laughed at Miley's misunderstanding of her intentions, pointing to the slumbering man.

"O-oh." Miley's face flushed at her confusion, clearing her throat inaudibly. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

Lilly, still smirking at Miley's cute embarrassed features, squeezed her girlfriend's hand in understanding. "C'mon. Let's go talk."

Miley nodded and smirked, walking hand in hand up to her bedroom with her beloved.

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Hours passed. Though many things were discussed amongst the two girls, neither conferred about the day's events at the school, avoiding it altogether, and were currently making plans about the upcoming school dance when Robbie Ray called the girls down for supper. Both finding themselves famished, amongst other emotions, rushed down to gather at the table for their meal.

"So…girls…how'd yer day go?" Robbie Ray asked, setting down the plate of chicken in the middle of the table.

"Oh, it was ok, Daddy. Lilly got an 'A' on her essay in Mr. Corelli's class, and I got a 'B'" Miley glanced at Lilly briefly, her oceanic eyes begging her not to discuss what had fully happened in school.

"Really? Well, good fer you both." He sat back in his chair, noting the uncomfortable look on his daughter's face. "Somethin' botherin' you, Bud?"

"Well, we were kinda outed to the school today." Lilly said plainly, giving a wincing look to Miley as she received a kick in the shin for admitting what had happened.

"Oh? What happened?" Robbie Ray asked plainly, taking a bite of his supper.

"Well, not much….a few people teased us but at the end of the day, they just kinda accepted it." Lilly commented, wondering why she was getting such a worried look from her girlfriend.

"I see. Well…that's California fer ya. News one minute, history the next." He noted with a shrug, also noticing the apprehensive look upon his daughter's tanned features. "Miles, you look more bothered than Aunt Pearl washing Uncle Earl's shorts…what's on your mind?"

"Nothin'." Miley fought back the forewarning stomach knots and took a bite of her food. "I think I'm just…worked up cos of the day's events. Y'know…just windin' down now."

Robbie Ray eyed his daughter cautiously, knowing that something just wasn't right, but unable to put his finger on it. "Ok, well…I hope that's the only thing that's got your panties in a bunch like that…" He remarked, before turning his attention back to his plate.

The rest of the meal fell silent, Lilly concerned with Miley's reaction to her talking about the day's events, watching as she poked her food around her plate and taking small bites here and there. As Robbie finished his meal and bussed his plate to the sink, he retired himself to a run along the beach as the two girls remained at the table.

Lilly waited until the retreating footsteps became fainter before confronting Miley. "Hey…you're really upset about something…"

"I just…I don't want Dad to worry about us…" Miley mumbled, pushing her chair back from the table to scrape her plate.

Lilly watched the defensive maneuver in disbelief. "Miley. Stop. What does he have to worry about? Everything was fine after the whole spray paint issue." Lilly stood and tossed her plate in the sink, grasping Miley's wrist as she did the same.

"I just have…this FEELING…that it ain't over, Lilly. I'm…I'm scared." Tears began to blur the brunette's vision, her face paling.

Lilly's own powder blue eyes turned to a sympathetic gleam as she wrapped her arms around Miley in a tight hug, hoping to squeeze and coax the fear out of her. "Ssh…Miley…we'll be fine. As long as we have each other, bad things can happen, but it won't matter. Cos we're TOGETHER…ok? And nothing besides our own will can change that." She whispered into Miley's ear, stroking her chestnut locks.

Miley pulled back from the tight embrace to look into Lilly's eyes, staring into her concerned gaze. "I-I know." She dropped her gaze to the floor reflectively, gathering her thoughts. "I just don't want either of us to get hurt through all of this."

Lilly tenderly placed a finger under Miley's chin, raising her eyes back to meet with Lilly's gaze, and sighed softly. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. No matter what happens." With that, Lilly signed her verbal promise with a warm embrace and a tender loving kiss, meaning every word.

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The girls arrived to school the next day with a firm affirmation that nothing was going to go wrong. It was Friday; the weekend beckoned closer and closer. After their dinner conversation, Lilly vowed to take Miley on a date Saturday night, as long as she promised not to be neurotic and worried that they were going to have problems at school. Miley, excited on the prospect of an actual date with someone who already knew her likes and dislikes, as well as it being their first real date, had agreed without haste, and had vowed to herself to keep to her pledge.

Their lockers were found to be unmarred by any obscenity, the pictures that had been posted along the bulletin boards were removed, and the day had began as if the previous day's events had never happened, with the exception of Lilly's skateboarding-stoner friend Nick requesting if he could watch, prompting an answer in the form of a Charlie horse from Lilly. Miley laughed at her reaction, and knew that the blonde was serious about protecting her. She was slightly comforted by the fact that they shared most classes this day with the exception of the last class of the day when Lilly had physical education and she had Chemistry, but knew that no matter what anyone said or did, Lilly would be able to protect herself. During their final period together, she found herself ignoring the algebra lesson and planning what she was going to wear on the date Saturday to blow Lilly's mind, and how to thank her for relaxing her nerves, her fantasy making her body warm and pulse quick with sudden lust.

The bell rang, dismissing the myriad of students to their final class of the day, startling Miley out of her erotic daze. Lilly stood before her desk, prepared to escort her to the next lesson. "Whatcha thinking about?" Lilly asked in an oh-so-sweet perky voice, grabbing Miley's books in her arms.

A wicked grin crossed Miley's face, chewing her bottom lip as she eyed her girlfriend's form. "Well, I was just thinking about how I'm going to thank you for helping me get over this worry."

Lilly's face turned red in reaction, her body becoming melted butter at the look her beloved was giving her, and all words escaped her mind. "Ohboy…." she yelped, finding herself breathless and hypnotized under Miley's scrutinous gaze.

A husky chuckle emitted from Miley's pouty lips and she gave Lilly a quick peck, motioning to the door. "Snap out of it…you'll get your reward soon enough." With that, Lilly perked and rushed Miley to the Chemistry classroom before heading to the gymnasium, knowing that school could not end soon enough.

Lilly took her time unknowingly to her next class, wondering exactly what Miley had in mind, and entered the gym a few seconds after the tardy bell rang.

"TRUSCOTT!" Ms. Mosley, the phys. Ed and softball coach hollered in a deep, booming voice. "So NICE of you to JOIN US!" She tossed the softball up in the air impatiently, the rest of the students already changed and sitting on the bleachers, waiting to hit the field. Three boys, Dennis, John, and Wade, jocks who always hung together and never paid attention to Lilly in the past, eyed her with wolfish grins, elbowing each other jokingly and whispering.

Disregarding their whispers and chuckles, Lilly apologized. "I'm sorry Ms. Mosley. I was helping a friend with her books." Her apology was greeted by more whispers by the boys and louder snickers.

"Never mind the excuses. Go get changed and meet us on the field." Ms. Mosley nodded to the girls' locker room and turned her attention to the rest of the class as Lilly charged into the locker room. "Alright everybody….hit the field!"

Lilly had entered the locker room and changed as quickly as she could into her green and yellow gym uniform, not wanting to anger the very butch teacher any more than she had to, brushing her long flaxen hair into a satisfactory ponytail. As she set her spare hairbrush back into the locker, a hand slammed the locker door closed loudly. Lilly, shocked at the sudden action, turned to find the offender. There stood Dennis, all of 6'2" and 230 pounds, dark hair cut into a short buzz cut, his seemingly black eyes staring down her diminutive form. Behind him stood John and Wade, grinning, as if they were animals on the prowl.

"Hey, you guys can't be in here…" Lilly spoke resolutely and stood firm, trying to put forth her best intimidating stance, though her heart was pounding in her chest in panic.

"Well, we heard you're a dyke." Dennis's bassy voice boomed through the locker room. "You probably shouldn't be in here either…checkin' out our chicks."

Lilly groaned disgustedly, walking towards the door, ignoring the muscular boy's attempt at an insult. He slammed his hand against the locker, preventing her escape.

"WHAT is YOUR PROBLEM?!" Lilly hollered, getting both angrier and more nervous at the same time.

"It's not OUR problem. It's YOUR problem." Dennis reached into his back pocket and pulled out a box cutter, brandishing the blade as if it was a mighty knife, tugging Lilly's ponytail roughly to bare her throat, waving the blade before her eyes. Lilly's eyes widened in fear as he moved the short blade as if it was alive. John and Wade took positions on both Lilly's sides, making an escape slim to impossible.

"Wh-what are you planning on doing with that, hmm? Killing me? You're pathetic." Lilly grabbed at Dennis's wrist to prevent any harm from befalling her, only to find him defensively bringing his hands down, releasing her tresses, and prompting John and Wade to close in. Lilly, in the sudden scuffle, accidentally grasped the box cutter's blade itself with her right hand, slicing the edge of the palm of her hand near the thumb deeply. Wincing and pulling back at the sudden sting of the metal into her flesh, she backed against the locker in fright and shock, wrapping her hand in her shirt.

"Ok, guys…ow…you had your fun in scaring me. You can go now." Lilly's voice wavered a bit, slinking a bit down against the lockers, suddenly feeling like she was only 3 inches tall.

Dennis, a bit shocked that he cut the girl before him, knew that he had to follow through with his plan. "No. I don't think so, DYKE…" He pressed himself against her body, his clothed member pressing against her hip, forcing the lock of the locker to dig itself into Lilly's back uncomfortably. "We're gonna MAKE you STRAIGHT…" He laughed, tugging at Lilly's shorts roughly.

Startled and frightened, with tears of panic pricking her eyes, Lilly began to do everything she could to fight her attacker. "GET OFFA ME!" She screamed in terror, kicking and drawing her fists against him, the blood from her open wound trickling slowly down her wrist, making smatters of stains on Dennis's shirt.

"PIN HER WRISTS DOWN, ASSHOLES!" He hollered at his friends for assistance as he struggled with the small yet mighty blonde, finally tossing her to the floor, yet finding it difficult to keep her steady enough to perform his wicked deed. Both boys, deciding it a bad idea to continue in this charade, and both convinced that they were only going to scare the girl, took off running out of the girl's locker room.

"Fuckin' cowards" he muttered as he grasped Lilly's right hand and dug his palm against her gash, making her scream in pain. She managed to slip her blood slicked palm away from his clutch and turned over, wiggling and trying to crawl her way far enough away from the boy to regain balance and run, crying out at the top of her lungs for help, only to find a heavy hand grasping her ankle.

"Nuh-uh, bitch. You're my project now…" Dennis panted, dragging her back to him, causing the tile to raise her shirt and leave a slight rash against her bare skin. The heavy pressure of his body slunk quickly on top of hers, pinning her down on her stomach and knocking the wind out of Lilly, rendering her defenseless. Lilly braced herself and continued to fight against Dennis's intentions, finding it difficult to grip the floor with the bloodied hand.

"STOP IT! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! HELLLLLLLLP!!!!" Lilly hollered yet again, the emotions flowing from her now making her voice raspy and finding it difficult to scream. Her short fingernails dug into the floor hoping that anyone could hear her pleas, but as she felt his weight shifting, and a rough pull-aside of her gym shorts, she knew that no one was going to stop this boy from achieving his purpose.

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Miley sat on the hood of her car, enjoying the breeze while waiting for Lilly to exit the school, silently wondering what was taking her so long. 'It was probably just her teacher making her run extra laps for her tardiness or something' she thought, trying to stay positive in her feelings, though something in her gut twisted and turned with worry. An ambulance had been parked in front of the school for some time, and she wondered who exactly it was for. 'It's probably for a CPR training class' Miley tried washing the off-putting thought of someone hurting Lilly with something that seemed optimistic.

Sliding off the hood, Miley straightened her plaid skirt and started walking up to the school doors to retrieve her girlfriend, when a silver sedan came speeding up to the emergency parking, stopping Miley in her tracks with a panicked stare, watching as Heather Truscott exited the vehicle and charge the double doors with haste, not pausing to talk to her daughter's best friend.

"Oh GOD…" Miley screamed, her legs losing all functionality, dropping to the ground, not feeling the sharp stones of the asphalt digging into her knees. She began to dry heave as the tears flowed freely from her face, her mind racing to the worst scenario.

The minutes seemed like hours as Heather walked her daughter out of the school, the EMT's heading back to their ambulance solemnly with their signed refusal of medical transport as the young female police officer spoke softly to them, instructing them on what they needed to do. Miley's heart jumped up and she regained her composure the best she could, racing to be by her girlfriend's side, interrupting the officer.

"Oh my God…Lilly, what happened?" Miley's voice cracked emotionally, relieved that Lilly was not dead, though concerned at her well being. She looked over her now-battered girlfriend, heartbroken that her left cheek and eye was beginning to swell, and the bruises along her arms and legs were beginning to darken, glancing over the tightly wrapped Ace bandage protecting her right hand that was raised above her shoulder.

"Miley, I need to take Lilly to the hospital right now. She can talk to you later on after she talks to the police…and after she tells me why this happened." Heather said coldly, loading the battered blonde into her car. Lilly looked at Miley sadly and mouthed 'I'm sorry' as her mother returned to the driver's seat, a tear falling silently down her cheek.

Fighting back the urge to vomit, Miley charged towards her car, adrenaline pumping suddenly, and slid quickly into the driver's seat, speeding off to follow the Truscott's to the hospital, vowing to not leave Lilly's side.

**Lucky's Notes: Phew. Sorry. Don't mean to be the drama llama. But there will be fluff next chapter. Promise. And if you're still reading this, just to give you a little bit of insight: Yes, I was in Lilly's shoes. Yes, it really happened to me. And yes, the offender was charged and sentenced for his crimes against me. (Names were changed in this fanfic to protect their privacy). Anywho. Read and review. Make me happy, cos this took a lot out of me to write. **


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